Susan Folwell is one of the exciting innovators in Pueblo pottery.  This jar is part of her series for, “Taos Light: Maidens to Mantas”.  The focus is on Susan re-interpreting the work of the Taos Society of Artists. This jar is inspired by the painting “The Bakers” by Walter Ufer.  Susan says of this piece,

I made this jar to have a very open and organic appearance.  I wanted to capture the fun and intensity of Pueblo women getting ready for Feast Day.  There is so much movement in the clouds and sky and there was an unexpected translucence when I put on the clay slip.  It made me want to keep the clay showing and create a piece which was more subtle.  The use of the layers of rope around the neck are the passing of the legacy of Feast Day and baking bread from one generation to another.

The jar is a large but organic shape with a wide body and indented neck.  The rim of the jar is fully incised to create the appearance of the rope. The body of the piece is painted with the scenes of Pueblo women baking bread.  The clouds are intricately painted with small dots and note how the background areas has large swaths of white clay slip against the natural color of the clay.  The jar is signed on the bottom.